First COVID-19 shots for kids should be available Thursday, Eastern Ontario top doctor says

Children ages five to 11 should be able to get their first COVID-19 shots by Thursday, Eastern Ontario’s top doctor says.

Dr. Paul Roumeliotis says he expects the vaccines to be delivered on Tuesday or Wednesday of next week. That would allow the health unit to get the first shots in arms on Thursday.

“We’re aiming for Thursday,” he told Newstalk 580 CFRA’s Leslie Roberts. “I can’t guarantee that, but that’s what we’re aiming for.”

Health Canada approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children ages five to 11 on Friday. Officials did not provide a delivery timeline at a news conference Friday morning.

Roumeliotis said the Pfizer vaccines are in the U.S. and ready to be shipped to Canada.